Method of manufacturing imitation fur from chenille yarns



Nov. 3, 1964 P. F. SAPILEVSKY 3,155,557

METHOD OF MANUFACTURING IMITATIQN FUR FROM CHENILLE YARNS Filed April 4, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 t l/2W INVENTOR 5 SAP/ EVSKY ATTORNEYS Nov. 3, 1964 P. F. SAPILEVSKY METHOD OF MANUFACTURING IMITATION FUR FROM CHENILLE YARNS Filed April 4, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 m/o/a/"w/wo 14 INVENTOR F. E 6/1 /4 EI/SK Y BY W ATTORNEYS United States Patent Q 3,155,557 METHGD 8F MANUFAQTURING IMHTATIGN FUR FROM CIENILLE YARNS Piotr Filippovich Sapilevsky, Moscow, USSR assignor to Moscovsky Experimentalny Zaved islroosstvennoi Kozhi e melrha, Moscow, USSR.

Filed Apr. 4, 1%0, Ser. No. 23,873 1 Saint. (Ci. 156--72) This invention relates to textiles and more particularly to a method of producing imitation fur from chenille glued to a fabric backing.

In comparison with the known processes the proposed method provides an improved imitation of natural Persian lamb.

The main feature of the method of this invention resides in the fact that before gluing the chenille to the backing, the core is untwisted and after gluing the core is cut into lengths of from to 30 mm. and the resulting short lengths of the core and any loose fibers not attached to the backing are removed by combing the fur.

A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus comprising a feeding cylinder, a pressure belt engaging a portion of the cylinder, and a rotating knife mechanism for cutting the core of the chenille.

As distinct from the prior art apparatus of this nature, the knife mechanism of the proposed invention is made in the form of a shaft having diametrically disposed hookshaped knives rotating in a direction opposite to the direction of fabric feed.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view showing an apparatus constructed in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the rotating knife mechanism for cutting the chenille cores;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic view to an enlarged scale showing round chenille prior to curling, and with the core threads holding the fibers somewhat loose to facilitate illustration;

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic view to an enlarged scale showing the chenille after curling but prior to untwisting of the core threads;

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic view to an enlarged scale showing the chenille after untwisting of the core threads;

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic view to an enlarged scale showing the manner of adhesively securing the untwisted chenille to a fabric backing;

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic view to an enlarged scale showing the chenille and fabric backing after the core threads have been cut into relatively short lengths, the dotted lines indicating the planes of the cutting blades; and,

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic view to an enlarged scale showing the resulting product after the cut core lengths and any loose fibers have been combed out.

With continued reference to the drawings, there is diagrammatically shown an apparatus constructed in accordance with this invention, and which comprises a driven feeding cylinder 1 and a pressure belt 2 trained over suitable guide pulleys, and engaging a portion of the periphery of the cylinder 1. An adjustable belt tensioning mechanism 3 may be provided in order to adjust the tension in the pressure belt 2. A guide roller 4 is mounted in spaced relation to the cylinder 1, and a backing roller 5 is rotatably mounted in spaced relation to the cylinder 1 and guide roller 4.

The apparatus of this invention is intended to be utilized with a web of material which is formed by untwisting the core threads of chenille and thereafter adhesively securing the untwisted chenille to a fabric backing. A sup- 3,155,557, Patented Nov. 3, 1964 ply of this web material may be positioned on a suitable support 6 and from this support the web is trained over a tensioning device 8 of conventional construction and thereafter, the web is trained around the guide roller 4, around the backing roller 5 and between the feeding cylinder 1 and the pressure belt 2. Rotation of the feeding cylinder 1 will operate to draw the web material over the backing roller 5, guide roller 4 and tensioning device 8 and from the feeding cylinder 1 and pressure belt 2, the web material is deposited on a suitable support 7.

Rotatably mounted in spaced relation to the backing roller 5 is a shaft 9 on which are fixed a plurality of disks 119, and as shown in FIG. 2, the disks 1d are axially spaced on the shaft 9. Each disk 11) is provided with a pair of diametrically opposed arms 11 which terminate at their outer ends in hook-shaped cutting blades and this mechanism serves to provide a rotary knife structure 12.

In operation, as the web passes over the backing roller 5, the hook-shaped cutting blades of the rotary knife structure 12 engage the core threads of the chenille and cut the same into predetermined lengths of from ten to thirty mm., and this length is determined by the spacing of the disks 10 on the shaft 9. The hook-shaped cutting blades of the rotary knife structure 12 penetrate the material to a depth sufficient to cut the core threads of the chenille secured to the fabric backing. The cut core threads, as well as any loose fibers not attached to the backing are removed by a subsequent combing operation. It will thus be seen that the apparatus of this invention is provided for the purpose of cutting the core threads of the chenille into desired relatively short lengths in order to prepare the same for further treatment.

In practicing the method and utilizing the apparatus of this invention, a web is formed from round chenille having fibers 13 secured in place by tightly twisted core threads 14, as shown in FiG. 3. The fibers 13 are next curled to provide chenille of the form shown in PEG. 4, and thereafter the core threads are untwisted to partially release the fibers 13, as shown in FIG. 5. The next step in forming the web comprises coating a fabric backing 15 with a suitable adhesive 16, and thereafter the untwisted chenille is deposited and arranged on the adhesive 16 in diiferent directions in order to provide a swirling pattern, and care is taken in arranging the chenille on the adhesive 16 on the backing 15 to provide a pattern closely simulating the pattern and appearance of natural astrakhan fur. To attain this result, the chenille is applied and adhesively secured to the backing 15 in random directions, and is not applied in any definite longitudinal or transverse direction with respect to the backing 15. The attachment of the fibers 13 to the backing 15 by means of the adhesive 16 is clearly shown in FIG. 6.

The composite web shown in FIG. 6 is next subjected to the action of the hook-shaped cutting blades 11 of the rotary knife structure 12, which penetrate the material and cut the core threads 14 of the chenille into threads 14 of predetermined length, as shown in FIG. 7, it being noted that the dotted lines in FIG. 7 indicate the planes of the knives 11 of the rotary knife structure 12. It is to be noted that the knives 11 penetrate the material to a depth sufficient for cutting the core threads 14, but do not penetrate to a sufficient distance to contact the fabric backing 15 and the adhesive coating 16 thereon.

After completion of the cutting, which takes place in the apparatus above described, the web is subjected to a combing operation which serves to remove the cut core threads 14, as well as any loose fibers 13 not attached to the backing 15. The resulting product is shown in FIG. 8.

It is not contended that this invention is the first to produce imitation fur by the use of chenille but it is contended that the method disclosed results in an imitation fur which is vastly superior to that heretofore produced by prior art methods. Heretofore, chenille was adhesively secured to a backing and thereafter, if desired, the chenille was divided into sections, but this method resulted in a product which was relatively stiff and unnatural when compared to natural fur, mainly by reason of the fact that the tightly twisted core threads remain in the material.

It has been found that the appearance, quality and wear characteristics of imitation fur is materially improved by the present invention, which includes untwisting and removing the core threads from the chenille, and the resulting product provides a far better simulation of genuine Persian lamb fur than heretofore has been possible.

The untwisting and cutting of the core threads into relatively short lengths and subsequently removing the same from the chenille by a combing operation is the essence of the present invention, and results in eliminating stiflness in the final product, and the fact that any loose fibers remaining after the cutting operation also are removed by the combing operation is of secondary importance.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and therefore the invention is not limited by that which is shown in the drawings and described in the specification, but only as indicated in the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A method of producing imitation fur from chenille yarns having twisted thread cores, said method comprising the steps of untwisting the cores of the chenille yarns to facilitate subsequent removal thereof, adhesively securing the chenille yarns with the untwisted cores to a fabric backing, cutting the threads of said cores into lengths of 10 to 30 millimeters, and removing the cut core threads and any loose components of the chenille yarns not attached to the backing by a combing operation to eliminate any stiffness imparted to the imitation fur due to the presence of such core threads.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 279,922 Crapon June 26, 1883 701,578 Knowlton June 3, 1902 1,012,389 Marche Dec. 19, 1911 1,042,553 Hedrich Oct. 29, 1912 1,314,529 Marche Sept. 2, 1919 1,550,380 Massey Aug. 18, 1925 1,731,591 Romane Oct. 15, 1929 1,854,193 Hopkinson Apr. 19, 1932 1,981,741 Morton Nov. 20, 1934 

